Chicago Review Press Mastering Stand-Up

This entertaining and sharply written guide-for both beginners breaking into comedy and professionals seeking to improve their sets and advance their careers-examines the work of great comedians such as Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, Moms Mabley, Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Richard Pryor, and more as a means of illustrating the most important techniques of performing and writing stand-up.Here, Stephen Rosenfield lays out a clear plan for achieving success, candidly explaining what works, what doesn't, and why. Including a 12-item "e;Successful Comedian's To-Do List,"e; Rosenfield states, "e;Get undeniably good at each of these and you can kiss your day job good-bye. You will be a pro."e;The New York Times heralded Stephen Rosenfield as "e;probably the best known comedy teacher in the country."e; His alumni include some of today's most prominent comedians and comedy writers, such as Lena Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Eric Slovin, and Jessica Kirson. Rosenfield has directed, coached, and/or written for these and hundreds of other comedians. As a pioneer in the field of teaching comedy, he founded the American Comedy Institute, the premier stand-up comedy school in the United States, in 1989. ...